A Year in the Office of Albus Dumbledore
by nicnac918
Summary: Sequel to The Stinging Habits of the Western Honey Bee. Harry's first year at Hogwarts as told by a series of ten meetings in Dumbledore's office over the course of ten months.
1. September 6th

A/N: Just a quick note to say, in case you missed it in the summary, this story is a sequel to my other story _The Stinging Habits of the Western Honey Bee._ While you could probably muscle through this one without having read the other it probably be a lot easier if you did. The story can be accessed through my profile or you can just throw the story ID in your URL: 6903136.

* * *

><p>Albus Dumbledore was just a bit worried. Severus had asked him if he had some time to for a meeting that evening at seven, which might seem like a spur of the moment type of thing, but Severus had that look that said "I've been planning this a long time so don't mess it up." Not that that was particularly worrisome in itself, look number 12 was one of Severus's favorites, right after number 1 "I hate the world and the world hates me" and number 5 "I can't believe the idiocy I'm surround by." No what had Albus worried was that Severus had shown up for meeting with Poppy in tow and announced they wouldn't be able to start until Minerva showed up with Harry. Albus wasn't sure what was going to happen next but it couldn't be good, not with Severus sporting number 8, "You're not going to like what's about to happen, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it."<p>

The three of them had been waiting for a minute or so when there was a brisk knock on the door, and Minerva entered, followed by Harry. The boy appeared a bit more subdued than on the other occasions Albus had seen him around the school and more than a little nervous. That was understandable though, given he had been called to the Headmaster's office on the first week of school and likely had no idea why.

"Harry, so nice to finally get a chance to talk to you, my boy," Albus said, hoping a warm welcome might calm the young wizard down, an effort which seemed marginally successful.

"It's nice to meet you Professor. Er... I'm not in trouble am I?"

"No Mr. Potter, you are not in trouble," Severus said, choosing to answer Harry's question himself, luckily for Albus. He really wasn't entirely sure what this was all about, but it seemed a shame to give up his impression of omniscience this early on.

The announcement, or more likely the sight of the Potion's Master, relaxed the boy completely, achieving what Albus's earlier words could not. And that was another thing he was worried about, Harry's obvious emotional attachment to Severus. It wasn't jealousy (though he'd be lying if he said he wasn't at all jealous), but concern for Harry's welfare. Albus knew, despite the many student rumors to the contrary, Severus did indeed have a heart and was fully capable of love. But because of that, Albus knew better than perhaps anyone else how emotionally shut-off Severus really was, and despite all the teasing (really Severus was much too fun to tease) Albus was afraid that the things Severus did were out of duty to Lily's child, not genuine caring for the boy. Harry was going to go through far too much, and was too important for Albus to be willing to stand aside while he continually threw himself at the walls Severus had built around his heart. Trust between the two of them would be good, but trying to build an emotional reliance would likely only break the boy. It really was too bad, Lily's son had a better chance than anyone of getting Severus to open up again, but there were more important things at stake than one man's emotional well-being.

Still, it wouldn't do to just rip Harry away from Severus, that would likely shut Harry off emotionally as well, which was the very last thing Albus wanted. No better to build a relationship with the boy first and slowly build up a replacement support network before gradually weaning him off any dependence on the Potion's professor. Remus was still convinced he needed to stay away from Harry for the boy's own good, but Albus thought if he started working on it now, he could probably convince Remus to come and visit Harry by Easter break, provided the moon wasn't full, of course. That would probably be the best course for all involved.

Whilst Albus had been ruminating, everyone else had found seats, and now Severus seemed ready to begin. "Mr. Potter, do you remember when I told about what happened to your parents?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied, and Albus was glad to see that he had inherited his manners from his mother rather that his father.

"Do you remember what you promised me in exchange for me telling you that story?" Severus prompted. Minerva looked vaguely outraged that Severus would put a price on that particular story, but Albus was just somewhat amused. Leave it to Severus to find way to bargain with information he fully intend on giving anyway.

"You said I'd have to truthfully answer any questions on one topic of your choice. You don't want do it now, right here do you?" asked Harry, looking a bit panicked. Clearly he had expecting the question and answer session to be a private conversation.

"Yes I do. You didn't seem fit to make any specifications about time and place when you made the deal, so you can't complain now that they aren't to your choosing. Or are you intending on going back on your promise?" said Severus.

"No sir," Harry replied sullenly, though Albus hoped he was paying attention. It's not every day that the Head of Slytherin deigns to give students lessons on cunning. "What's the topic?"

"I think, Mr. Potter, I would like you to tell us what your life with the Dursley's was like. You can start with the address written on the first letter you received from Hogwarts." Harry looked reluctant to answer and Albus felt his vague sense of worry develop into something that wasn't quite full-blown panic, but it was a close call. "Answer the question; I will see to it that you do not get in trouble with your relatives for it."

"Mr. H. Potter, the cupboard under the stairs, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey," Harry recited.

For a moment the room was completely silent. Finally Albus spoke up. "Harry did you sleep in the cupboard the night before the letter came as a joke, or on a dare?" he asked, praying he was right.

At first he thought Harry wasn't going to answer, but the boy took one look at Severus's face and dutifully responded, "No sir, that's where I slept every night until I got that letter. After that Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon moved me into Dudley's second bedroom." And the conversation only went downhill from there.

Severus somehow managed to maintain a calm, professional air throughout the whole thing (Albus suspected him of using Occlumency), but Minerva was looking nothing short of murderous, and Poppy's hands actually started twitching with her desire to drag Harry down to the hospital wing and start running any number of tests. Objectively speaking, it really wasn't anywhere nearly as bad as it could have been. A few carefully worded questions from Severus eliminated the possibility of sexual abuse and the physical abuse seemed to be mostly limited to enabling their son and his friends. Harry's words, however, painted a picture of an unloved child, who had been neglected and mentally and emotionally abused, not to mention the frightening new light his skinny frame took on. A child whose guardians not only made it clear they didn't want him, but went out of their way to make sure no one else would ever look on him with favor either. Albus had known that there was some favoritism going on at the Dursley's, Arabella had told him that much, but this went far beyond anything he suspected. Though now he had to wonder how much of his blindness had been willful; how much had he been subconsciously ignoring in order to keep the use of the blood wards?

Finally Harry and Severus feel quiet, and the torture was ended. Albus stood up, walked over to Harry, and, heedless of the creaks and protests of his old bones, knelt down in front of the boy, taking his hands into Albus's own wizened ones. "Harry," he said, his voice as thick and heavy as the feeling in his chest, "I hope you know that I… that we didn't know it was so bad for you."

Harry looked almost confused, though whether it because of Albus's statement or his emotional reaction, it was hard to say. "Of course you didn't sir, how could you?"

"Harry, I'm going to tell you something, and I can only hope you forgive me for it. I was the one who put you in your Aunt's care when your parents died, but I want you to know that I only did it for your own protection. You know about the night your parent's died?" Harry nodded. "Well what a lot of people don't know, is that when Voldemort came to your house that night he told your mother she could live if she let him kill you. But your mother refused to get out of his way and died because she was trying to protect you."

Harry's eyes were over-bright as he replied "I know, Professor Snape told me."

Albus felt as shocked at the revelation that Severus would share something so personal, as Minerva and Poppy, who hadn't heard any of this about Lily before, looked, though Albus rather hoped he concealed it better. "That was good of Professor Snape," Albus finally said, giving Severus a meaningful glance. "Did he tell you about the blood wards too?" Harry shook his head, so Albus continued. "Well, because of what your mother did I was able to cast a very powerful spell that made it so, as long as you lived with one of your mother's relatives, you would be safe from any of Voldemort's followers who might be around and even Voldemort himself, if he was, as I fear, still alive in some way. But I never would have just left you there had I known they were going to treat you like that, and I promise that it will never happen again. Do you think you can forgive an old man his mistake?"

Harry was quiet and thoughtful for a moment, which was, in a way, more reassuring than an instant and light-hearted reply. If Albus was to be forgiven he wanted it to be because he deserved it, not because Harry wanted to make him feel better, or because the boy had an easily forgiving nature. After a minute's deliberation Harry finally answered. "I forgive you. You were just trying to protect me, and no one has ever done that before, besides my parents and Professor Snape."

For what felt like the first time all evening Albus smiled. "Thank you, my boy. Now I think you'd better go with Madam Pomfrey, I know she's dying to give you a once over after that story."

"Do I have to?" Harry protested.

But Poppy was in her element now that Harry had been officially placed under her charge, something that some of the professors had a hard time standing up to. "Yes you have to. Lord knows what kind of lingering damage those horrid people caused. You'll be lucky if I don't decide to keep you all weekend. Now march," she said, pointing to the door.

"All weekend? But Draco, and Ron, and me were going to help Neville build his aquarium tomorrow." Poppy's stance did not quiver one iota, and eventually Harry sighed and relented. "Yes ma'am."

Albus thought he saw Minerva suppress an eye roll before she said, "Come on Mr. Potter, I'll come if you and see if I can't convince Madam Pomfrey to let you return to the tower tonight, but only if you fully cooperate with whatever test she needs to run."

"I will," Harry assured Minerva brightly. Then he turned back to address Albus and Severus again. "Good night Professors,"

"Good night Harry," Albus replied, while Severus gave a brief nod in recognition. The two women ushered Harry out, leaving just Albus and Severus.

Wordlessly Severus stood up and offered his hand to Albus, to help him up from where he was still kneeling on the ground. "Thank you, my boy. I'm afraid I'm getting too old to do this kind of thing." Severus didn't respond to his comment, but Albus wasn't particularly surprised by that. While it was universally acknowledged that Albus Dumbledore was old, most witches and wizards seemed content to completely ignore any negative effects that his age might have.

"Well then Severus, I suppose I will bid you good evening, unless you have something else you need to discuss?"

"Not at the moment," Severus said. He walked to the door, but then paused, hand resting on the doorknob and looked back with an expression that Albus was quite sure he hadn't seen before. "Oh, and Dumbledore? Harry will not be going back to the Dursley's." And then he strode out of the office, leaving Albus alone with his guilt.

* * *

><p>AN: And so goes the first chapter of the sequel. The format of this story is going to be a little different_. _It is currently planned for ten chapters, one for each month of Harry's school year, and they will all be some sort of meeting in Dumbledore's office. The tentative plan is for them all to be from Dumbledore's perspective (I know, I was surprised too), but my tentative story plans have a way of changing on me a rather lot. But however it ends up I hope you all enjoy. And as always my many thanks to anyone who reads, reviews, favorites or alerts.


	2. October 31st

AN: Woo! Chapter 2 and it only took me about a year *grins sheepishly* Seriously though, you guys should be thanking josephina_x (I already have) becuase I had kind of fallen out of the fandom and she wrote a lovely Harry Potter fic that she gave to me as a present which single-handedly pulled me back in.

* * *

><p>Albus traveled up the spiral of steps to his office, having received word that the troll had been apprehended, and was not particularly surprised to reach the top and see Severus waiting outside the door. Quirrell's little scene earlier had been highly suspicious and Albus was actually a bit disappointed in his former student, albeit secretly. Not because he was, at best, greedy and selfish enough that he didn't care if children got hurt, though that was upsetting too, of course. No, Albus was disappointed because he was relatively certain some of the first years could and had come up with better distractions and Albus was relatively certain Quirrell had only gone through with it so he could make that admittedly impressively dramatic entrance. But regardless of why he had done it, the fact remained that Severus was bound to investigate anything that suspicious and report any findings to Albus. So Severus's presence was no surprise, though Albus hadn't been expecting him to be accompanied by four children.<p>

"Why, Professor Snape, Miss Granger, Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Weasley. What a pleasant surprise." Severus looked up from giving the children look number 2 "You're lucky that it's illegal to chop people up for Potion's ingredients" to give Albus an approximation of an eye roll. Albus choose to ignore this in favor of opening the door to his office and gesturing the children, who looked an interesting mix of in awe and terrified, through. He conjured a few extra chairs and took his own seat behind his desk before turning to the assorted group before him. "Now what seems to be the problem?"

The three boys turned to Hermione, who in turn turned to Severus to answer the question.

"I found the four of them in the girl's bathroom, trying to take on a troll," said Severus, sounding unsurprisingly displeased by this.

Albus felt his eyebrows rise in surprise. "The four of you faced a troll. Did anyone get hurt?" There was the appropriate amount of concern in his voice, but truthfully he wasn't all that worried. The children all looked a bit shaken up, but none of them appeared injured.

"Neville hurt his ankle," Hermione reported dutifully. Neville looked a bit embarrassed by the attention, and muttered something about it being "just a sprain."

"If that's the worst of it, then I think you can all count yourselves lucky. Now," Albus said, scrutinizing each of the children in turn, "what exactly happened?"

He directed the end of this question to Severus who said, "Granger, since you were so eager to share, why don't you tell the Headmaster what happened?"

Interesting. If the children had already told Severus their side of the story, then their presence in Albus's office could only mean one of two things. Either Severus considered whatever they had done to be so bad that he lacked the authority to mete out the proper punishment, or more likely – though only slightly so; Severus was a bit trigger happy with regards to expulsion for non-Slytherin students – he suspected them of lying to him and believed that Albus might be more affective at ferreting out the truth than Severus would be with his own terrifying, from a child's perspective at least, methods.

"Please, Professor Dumbledore, it's all my fault," Hermione said with a measure of desperation that did seem to lead credence to the lying theory. "I had read all about trolls and I was sure I could deal with it on my own. So I went looking for it, and they came after me to try and stop me from getting hurt. By the time they caught up with me the troll had already cornered me and there wasn't time to go fetch any help. They tried to confuse it and maybe hurt it a bit so we could all escape, but it was too big and probably-" Here, Hermione let out a great sniff, her eyes over-bright. Considering that these four children had apparently faced down a full-grown troll on their own, the fact that none of them had broken down before this was a bit surprising. Must be the adrenaline.

With a casual flick of his wand, Albus summoned up a handkerchief floating in the air before the poor girl, which she accepted with a mumbled thanks, dabbing her eyes. "And then suddenly Professor Snape showed up and shouted out a spell I didn't recognize," Hermione continued, nose wrinkling with distaste at her own lack of knowledge.

"_Stupefy_, the stunning spell," Ron volunteered, causing everyone in the room to turn toward him and regard him with some surprise. _Stupefy_ was hardly a part of the average coursework for a first year, nor was it something that might just be picked up around the house growing up in a magical family. Ron, however, just shrugged in response and said, "It comes up a lot in my brother, Charlie's stories." Charlie being the one who went on to work with dragons. That would explain it.

Hermione nodded and, despite the continued presence of tears, got a bit of a calculating look in her eyes, as though she were filing that bit of information away for later reference. "The troll did fall over unconscious after that," Hermione said, agreeing with Ron's assessment.

Now it was Severus's turn to be regarded with mild surprise, though only by Albus this time. Trolls weren't anything like easy to stun, and doing it single-handedly was no mean feat. Albus considered congratulating the man on his accomplishment, but then Severus was so sensitive about these kinds of things, and Albus wouldn't want to embarrass him in front of the children.

So, rather than saying to Severus, Albus looked back to Hermione. "Is that all?"

"For the most part, Professor," Hermione answered. "All that happened after was I told Professor Snape what happened and Professors McGonagall and Quirrell showed up in time to take care of the troll so Professor Snape could bring us here."

"I see." Well, she was clearly lying. Not about the latter half of the story, that rung true, but the beginning…

"You know, Ms. Granger, I've heard a good deal about you from the other professors," said Albus in a conversational tone. "The unanimous agreement is that you are very intelligent for your age, and justifiably proud of that intelligence." Severus half-made a noise that might have, in private company, been a snort, but Albus stood by his statement. Severus comments about her just needed a bit more translation was all. "They also all agree that you are very respectful of the rules, and not likely to be inclined to do something such as, say, run off on your own after I instructed all the students to return to their dormitories."

Hermione quailed under his direct, if somewhat subtle, prodding, but didn't retract her earlier lie. Ah, well, Albus was far from done yet.

"I'm afraid I wasn't quite so well-behaved when I was your age, not as bad as your two brothers Mr. Weasley," Albus said with a small chuckle, effectively drawing Ron into the conversation before turning to Harry and Neville to bring them in too, "but I did get myself into trouble now and again. And, of course, whenever I was caught I did what most of us do when we're caught doing something we oughtn't; I lied. Now, I won't tell you I never got away with it, I very much doubt you believe me if I did, but when I didn't manage to get away with a lie, I found the consequences were a good deal worse than they would have been if I had just told the truth."

Albus let that statement sit in the air and waited. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long.

"Don't be angry at Hermione, she just didn't want us to get into trouble," Neville said, stuttering slightly.

"Yeah, Professor, don't blame Hermione; it's all my fault really," Harry insisted.

"And what makes you say that?" Albus asked gently.

"She wasn't even in the Great Hall when Professor Quirrell told everyone about the troll, she was in the loo cr – errr… she had gone to the loo. And when you told everyone to go to their dormitories Neville remembered that she wasn't around to hear and I said that we should go get her and warn her. And everything else she said was the truth," said Harry earnestly.

"Mmmm," Albus said, thinking. It was certainly good to hear that none of them had done anything so foolish as to actually try and take on a troll, but this was a bit worrisome. Still, best to alleviate the children's nerves before he dealt with it. "Thank you for being honest. Now, Ms. Granger, I can hardly fault you for availing yourself of the restroom, nor are you boys in trouble for trying to warn a fellow student about a dangerous situation." All four children sagged a bit in relief and Albus granted them a brief smile before continuing. "I would like to have a private conversation with Mr. Potter however; Severus if you could take Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Longbottom to the Hospital Wing so Madam Pomfrey can take a look at Neville's ankle?"

Albus was half expecting Harry to intercede and ask if Severus could stay while the two of them talked, and Albus was fully planning on leaving that decision up to Severus's discretion. What Albus was not expecting was for _Severus_ to say, "Actually, Professor Dumbledore, I would like to stay and have a word with Mr. Potter as well."

Albus blinked in surprise once before dutifully turning to Harry and saying, "It's up to you Mr. Potter."

Harry darted a quick glance up at Severus before saying, "I'd like it if Professor Snape stayed, if he doesn't mind sir." Well, at least Albus had completely lost his ability to predict people.

Albus turned back to the other three children. He could probably just have them wait outside the office, but there was no guarantee that the quick word he wanted to have with Harry wouldn't turn into something longer, and it really would be better if Neville had his ankle looked at sooner rather than later, even if it only was a sprain. Normally he might instruct them to go to the Hospital Wing by themselves, but after the way the evening had been unfolding, it didn't seem a good idea to send them off without any kind of supervision. There had to be someone he could have look after them… Ah!

"Fawkes," Albus called, and with a gentle trilling the phoenix emerged from whatever back corner of the office he had been perched in, landing on Albus's desk.

The children regarded Fawkes with an open-mouthed astonishment, with the exception of Harry who didn't seem to realize Fawkes was anything beyond a particularly magnificent bird. A lack of knowledge that was soon to be remedied when Hermione blurted out, "That's a phoenix! I read all about them in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_."

Albus's lips curved up into an amused smile. "Yes he is. Fawkes is also a very dear and loyal friend. Fawkes," he said, addressing the bird directly, "these three need an escort to the Hospital Wing. Would you be willing to help?"

Fawkes turned his head an inspected Albus with one eye before inspecting the children with the other. Then, with a chirp of agreement, he launched himself off the desk and landed directly on top of Hermione's head. Ron, Neville, and Harry looked at Hermione with a mixture of amazement and envy as Hermione, with the same amazement, tentatively reached up to touch Fawkes's feathers. He allowed her three strokes before he nudged her hand with his beak and made a gently impatient sound. "I believe he's eager to see you to your destination," Albus suggested.

"Yes sir," Hermione agreed, "er–"

"Fawkes will find his own way back here after Madam Pomfrey takes charge of you," Albus said, guessing at what she wanted to ask. When that failed to get her to stop biting her lip, he continued, "And he'll be more than happy to direct you if you get a little lost on the way there."

Her expression cleared and she said, "Thank you Professor," before turning to leave. Ron and Neville followed her out, Neville limping a little and Ron offering a shoulder for the other boy to lean on.

Once they had left Harry turned to Albus a bit nervously and asked "I'm not in trouble am I?"

Severus rolled his eyes a bit and pointed out, "Professor Dumbledore just said you weren't in trouble less than ten minutes ago."

"Quite so," Albus agreed.

Harry gave the both of them a sheepish grin. "Oh, right."

"I just wanted a quick word with you, Harry," Albus assured. "Now, am I correct in assuming that, while you lived with your Aunt and Uncle, if you had any sort of problem or something troubling you, you were expected to sort it out for yourself?"

"Yes sir," Harry said, swallowing.

"And do you think that might be why this evening, instead of telling one of the Professors about Ms. Granger's predicament, you went to go find her yourself?"

Harry's eyes went wide with shock. "I'm sorry Professor, I didn't even think –"

"It's quite alright," Albus told him, giving Harry a gentle smile. "You lived with your relatives for ten years; even if the ways that they taught you of dealing with certain things are no longer applicable it's understandable that you might forget from time to time. I just wanted to remind you that all of us, the professors, the Head Boy and Girl, the prefects, we're all here to help you if you need it."

"Harry," Severus interjected, "how do you think I knew to come to save the four of you so quickly?"

"Er… didn't you hear the troll wrecking the bathroom Professor?" Harry hazarded.

"No," corrected Severus. "Mr. Malfoy saw the three of you leaving the Great Hall and came and told me because he was worried you were going to do something to get yourselves hurt."

"Oh. I guess I should thank Draco then," Harry said.

"That would be a good idea," Albus agreed. "And maybe next time follow his example as well."

Harry nodded, and then peered apprehensively up at Albus from under his fringe. "Um, Professor? What if I forget next time too?"

"Well," said Albus brightly, "I suppose I'll just have to remind you again."

"Yes sir," Harry said, grinning brightly.

"Good. Now, is there anything else you wished to say to Harry, Professor Snape?" Albus asked, turning to Severus.

"Only that I'm willing to remind him as well, as many times as it takes to get it through that dunderheaded skull of his." Harry beamed up at Severus, and Albus fairly suspected himself of beaming too.

"And did you have any other questions, Harry?"

"No sir," Harry said, shaking his head.

"Alright," Albus said. "If you do have any questions or concerns in the future, my office is always open to you. That same password, 'Chocolate Frogs,' will be good for the rest of the year. But for now, I think if you hurry you can catch up with your friends on their way to the Hospital Wing."

With a quick goodbye Harry rushed out of the room, with Severus following at a more sedate pace.

Alone, Albus leaned back and thought. Severus had been far more open with Harry this evening than Albus had expected him to be willing to be. He hadn't said much over the course of the meeting to be sure, but that he had requested to stay during a private somewhat emotional conversation with Harry, and had voluntarily offered the boy encouragement had been something of a surprise, a pleasant one.

This certainly bore watching.


End file.
